Nation's Top High School Players Named to Compete In POWERade/McDonald's All American High School Soccer Games
PRNewswire
CHARLESTON, S.C.
Jun 5, 2002
Seventy-two of the nation's top high school soccer players have been named to play in the inaugural POWERade/McDonald's All American High School Soccer Games June 15 on Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C.
Selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), the 36 boys and 36 girls hail from 33 states and represent the cream of the crop among players who participated in high school soccer during the 2001-2002 school year.
"We are honored to announce the boys and girls teams who will represent all of high school soccer in these two important games to be played in one of America's finest soccer stadiums," said Barry Gorman, president of the NSCAA and head men's soccer coach at Penn State University. "These players will put on a great show for the fans and will be outstanding representatives of their respective schools."
Leading the list of All Americans is Kristine Weiss of Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the NSCAA/adidas Girls High School Player of the Year; and David Walters of Lake-Lehman High School in Lehman, Pa., runner- up for the 2002 NSCAA/adidas Boys Player of the Year.
Weiss, who is headed to the University of Virginia, helped lead Walsh Jesuit to two consecutive state championships, along with Colleen Hoban, another Walsh Jesuit player named to the All American game.
Walters, a two-time NSCAA All American and three-time all-state selection in Pennsylvania, is headed for Penn State. He has played for U.S. national teams at the under-16 and under-15 age levels.
Among the outstanding female players named to play in the event are Holly Ryder from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., who will play next year for the University of Kansas; Kacey White, from Grace Prep Academy (Arlington, Texas) who is a member of the U.S. Under-19 National Team and is headed for North Carolina; and Marie Pederson, the NSCAA California State Player of the Year from Peninsula High School (Rancho Palos Verdes) who will attend the University of Southern California.
Outstanding male players who will represent their high schools include Alex Chursky, a goalkeeper from Decatur High in Federal Way, Wash., who is a national youth team player for Canada; Jordan Chirico, who tied the New York State goal scoring record this year while playing for Livonia High School in Livonia, N.Y.; and Ross Vaillancourt, a two-time All American from Manchester West High in Bedford, N.H.
"For many years soccer has been one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States, and POWERade is proud to introduce this event along with our friends and partners at McDonald's," said David Goerke, marketing manager for the Coca-Cola Company, which markets and distributes POWERade.
"We are pleased to carry on the tradition of honoring top scholastic athletes who excel in their chosen sport," said John Lewicki, Director of McDonald's U.S. Sports Marketing. "The POWERade McDonald's All American High School Soccer Games will be an outstanding platform to showcase the skills of America's top high school soccer players, many of whom will go on to careers in college and the professional ranks."
The games will be played Saturday night, June 15, at Blackbaud Stadium, home of the Charleston Battery of the A-League. The girls' East-West game kicks off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys' East-West Game, which begins at 8 p.m.
POWERade, a brand of The Coca-Cola Company, is a system of high performance sports drinks that are engineered to satisfy hydration and energy needs. POWERADE recently launched a new and improved formula featuring vitamins B3, B6 and B12, which play a role in energy and metabolism. In addition, the brand added POWERADE light, with 50 % fewer calories, to its line of hydration and energy beverages. The Coca-Cola Company is the world's leading non-alcoholic beverage manufacturer, marketer, and distributor and produces more than 230 brands that reach almost 200 countries.
McDonald's is the world's leading foodservice retailer, with more than 29,000 restaurants serving more than 45 million people each day in 121 countries. Approximately 80 percent of McDonald's worldwide restaurants are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women.
BOYS EAST SQUAD ROSTER Name High School Hometown College Adam Bruh Wheatley Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Michigan Jordan Chirico Livonia Conesus, N.Y. Indiana Michael Conway Wando Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Dartmouth John Cooper Riverside Greer, S.C. Clemson Brian Crunk Bearden Knoxville, Tenn. King College (Tenn.) Jeff Davis Falmouth Falmouth, Maine Davidson Dave Glaudemans Walt Whitman Bethesda, Md. Maryland Jeff Grosser Shawnee Medford, N.J. Johns Hopkins Brian Healy A. I. DuPont Newark, Del. Elizabethtown College Ryan Kerlew Loomis Chaffee Windsor, Conn. Duke School John Kochis, Jr. Naugatuck Naugatuck, Conn. Rhode Island Phillip Long James B. Hunt Wilson, N.C. Virginia Charles Rowan Seton Hall Prep Livingston, N.J. Villanova Andrew Russo Weymouth East Weymouth, Mass. Bowdoin College Kyle Teixeira Mt. Hope Warren, R.I. Undecided Ross Vaillancourt Manchester West Bedford, N.H. Seattle Pacific David Walters Lake-Lehman Hunlock Creek, Pa. Penn State Hunter West Manatee Bradenton, Fla. South Florida Coaches: Don Ridall, Manlius Pebble Hill High School, DeWitt, N.Y. Dick Smith, T.L. Hanna High School, Anderson, S.C. BOYS WEST SQUAD ROSTER Name High School Hometown College Omid Aldaghi Salpointe Tucson, Ariz. St. Mary's (Calif.) Shane Bonin Klein Spring, Texas IUPU-Indianapolis Marc Burch Turpin Cincinnati, Ohio Evansville Raymond Burse St. Xavier Prospect, Ky. Ohio State Jr. Alex Chursky Decatur Federal Way, Wash. Seattle University Tim Collico Chaminade Florissant, Mo. Missouri-Kansas City Mark Futrell Strake Jesuit Sugar Land, Texas St. John's College Prep Chris Glinski Lourdes Rochester, Minn. Michigan Bobby Guelich Edina Edina, Minn. Princeton Duke Hashimoto Iolani School Kapolei, Hawaii Southern Methodist Matt Holtrust Santa Margarita Mission Viejo, California Catholic Calif. Mike Hutchinson Rochester Springfield, Ill. Undecided Eric Mickschl Nicolet Glendale, Wis. Wisconsin- Milwaukee Armin Mujdzic Urbandale Des Moines, Iowa Undecided Kevin Nugent Centerville Centerville, Ohio Ohio State Marcellus North Central Indianapolis, Ind. Wake Forest Tennyson Sinisa Mentor Mentor, Ohio Illinois-Chicago Ubiparipovic Dan Wasson Liberty Colorado Springs, Air Force Academy Colo. Coaches: Michael Coulter, Brookwood High School, Snellville, Ga. Bob Vroom, Swansboro High School, Swansboro, N.C. GIRLS EAST SQUAD ROSTER Name High School Hometown College Kelly Campbell Gaithersburg Gaithersburg, Md. Illinois Lindsey Finnegan Gloucester Blackwood, N.J. Villanova Catholic Amy Franciscovich Thomas Johnson Frederick, Md. Emory Kara Frederick Woodbridge Woodbridge, Va. Virginia Kelly Hammond St. Mary's Bowie, Md. Virginia Lisa Jaffa South Side Rockville Centre, Loyola (Md.) N.Y. Ashley Kramer Chatham Chatham, N.J. Loyola (Md.) Holly Law Upper St. Clair Pittsburgh, Pa. Notre Dame Kristi Lefebvre Colchester Colchester, Vt. Connecticut Natasha Moore Hillcrest Fountain Inn, S.C. Western Carolina Geneil Newbern Ridgeway Memphis, Tenn. Georgia Holly Ryder American Plantation, Fla. Kansas Heritage Melanie Schneider McIntosh Peachtree City, Ga. Wake Forest Christine Waterville Waterville, Maine Brown Serdjenian Marisa Suarez Immaculate Carlstadt, N.J. LaSalle Heart Tiffany Weimer North Haven North Haven, Conn. Penn State Lyndsey Williams Germantown Germantown, Tenn. Mississippi Mary Zider Spaulding Barre, Vt. Boston College Coaches: Bob Bigelow, South Side High School, Rockville Centre, N.Y. Scott Ferguson, Wando High School, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. GIRLS WEST SQUAD ROSTER Name High School Hometown College Carmen Bognanno Lafayette Chesterfield, Mo. Duke Brooke Bowman Plano West Plano, Texas Brigham Young Christine Cigno St. Joseph's St. Louis, Mo. Saint Louis Emily Cobb South Oldham Louisville, Ky. Troy State Brittany Cooper Eldorado Albuquerque, N.M. Arizona State Colleen Hoban Walsh Jesuit Strongsville, Ohio Ohio State Summer Loving James E. Taylor Katy, Texas Texas A&M Lauren MacIver Jenks Tulsa, Okla. Oklahoma Jamie Mangiardi Mission San Jose Fremont, Calif. California Lindsey Michuda Brookfield Brookfield, Wis. Marquette Central Marie Pedersen Peninsula Rancho Palos Southern Verdes, Calif. California Jeanne Rankin Cassidy School Edmond, Okla. Colorado Sherry Slye Roger Bacon Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati Caroline Smith Edina Edina, Minn. Kansas Kristen Weiss Walsh Jesuit Becksville, Ohio Virginia Kacey White Grace Prep Arlington, Texas North Carolina Academy Lauren Zealear Nevada Union Nevada City, Calif. Santa Clara Kristen Waubonsie Valley Aurora, Ill. Indiana Zmijewski Coaches: John Burke, Catholic Memorial High School, Waukesha, Wis. Hank Tenney, Hanover High School, Hanover, N.H.
SOURCE: McDonald's Corporation
CONTACT: John Polis of Sports Events International, +1-813-269-8006,
JPolis@compuserve.com; Palmer Moody of McDonald's Corporation,
+1-630-623-5372, palmer.moody@mcd.com; or Holly Chambers of POWERade,
+1-404-676-0565, hchambers@na.ko.com
Web site: http://www.mcdonalds.com/